


Had To Ghost (Break It Up)

by FrozenHearts



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Android Revolution, Canon Compliant, F/F, First Meetings, Found Family, Friendship/Love, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Markus/Connor, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Mentioned Alice Williams, Mentioned Hank Anderson, Mentioned Sumo, North and markus aren't dating in this, North basically adopts Ralph lol, Pep talks, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash, they're cute but i don't think they're good as a romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-26 16:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: Androids came from far and wide to Jericho after the revolution- some were a bit more wary of their newfound freedom than others.





	Had To Ghost (Break It Up)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was supposed to be Markus/Ralph but along the way it became kind of Josh/Ralph I hope you enjoy it

Being a leader, Markus realized quickly, was exhausting. It had only been a few days since the android revolution, and things were too slow in piecing back together. Jericho was getting crowded, and despite the humans crowing about helping the androids and making sure they had rights, they weren't exactly doing anything about it. Left and right, androids were piling up, making it hard to move around the rickety old boat. There were arguments over sleeping arrangements and petty feuds over who got what piece of supplies- a shirt here, a pair of shoes there. It was great that androids were free now, but Markus only had so many ways to break up stupid fights.

And then there was the issue concerning spare parts. Many androids had been damaged or injured during the freedom of the camps, and CyberLife wasn't exactly opening its doors to provide the parts and blood needed for repairs. Many androids didn't even want to go to CyberLife for help, afraid they might try and take over their bodies and take them back to the warehouses. But parts were sparse and as the leader, Markus had to do whatever he could to help his people.

Like now, he mused, as he helped Josh and Simon take inventory. From his calculations, they had about 50 androids coming to Jericho each week, sometimes more, and as usual, supplies were dwindling.

"How's the count going on leg components?" Simon called to Josh, who was rummaging through a white plastic crate.

"Looks like we'll have enough for another month." was Josh's muffled reply. His purple shirt rode up slightly as he leaned against the edge, his knuckles almost white trying to keep the lid open. "Things should be okay as long as no one comes in severely injured."

Markus pursed his lips, his sigh drowned out by the slam of the lid as Josh closed it. Simon was ticking away with a pencil on a clipboard, a satisfied smirk on his face. A month at best wasn't great. They all knew it, but they didn't have time.

"Alright, well, let's hope that doesn't happen anytime soon," Josh chuckled.

\----

 Josh ate his words shortly after.

Scanning the main compound of the boat, Josh could see the trickle of thirium, a bright blue searing into his eyes against the grey scale surroundings. He and North were scouring the empty cabins for supplies to salvage when he had first noticed it splashed across the wheel on one of the doors. The metal was flecked with blue, the yellow paint peeling and flaking under his hand as he gripped the wheel.

"Did you find something?" North asked.

Josh pursed his lips, "Maybe. There's some thirium on the door here."

North cocked her head, pushing her hair out of her face, "I thought everyone was in the main compound. You think we have some stragglers?"

Josh considered her words; it wasn't uncommon to see a few androids wandering in here and there, but since the revolution it was becoming a rare occurrence. Most androids had by now realized they can live outside Jericho, assimilate back into normal lives with the ability to own property and get paid new wages for the work done previously and in the future.

Sometimes Connor, the deviant hunter android, would come by with androids in need of help. He hadn't seen Connor in a while, but last Markus aid, the RK800 was living with the human detective and a very large dog that had no concept of personal space. Not an android dog either, Markus said this dog was a _real_ dog, with fur and drool and a loud bark that made you jump the first time you heard it.

"Josh!" North's voice broke through his thoughts, "Are you gonna open it?"

Josh licked his lips. His LED flared yellow, smoothing into a deep orange. Not quite red, but neither was he exactly calm.

Cracking his knuckles, he gripped the wheel, the rusted metal groaning as he forced it open-

\- only to jump back as a blade whistled right under his nose, mere inches from his upper lip.

"Shit!" he heard North curse behind him, her brown eyes wide with shock. It took a while for Josh to recover, his LED flashing rapidly but standing in front of him, brandishing the largest kitchen blade he'd ever seen, was a deviant. An android, locked up in the abandoned cabins and currently glaring wildly, shivering like an animal backed into a corner.

For a minute, it was silent, save for an odd whirring noise that seemed to come from inside the cabin. The android wielding the knife was trembling, visibly shaking as he tried to maintain his grip on the handle.

"Don't.... don't hurt Ralph!" the android cried suddenly, His voice had a mechanical edge to it, and a quick scan told Josh that his voice box and vocal components were severely damaged. That they had been for a long time, judging from the gaping blue-crusted whole on the entire left side of his face. Another scan showed he had an eight-ball fracture on his visual optics, the sclera becoming black while the pupil and iris flooded with thirium. 

"The humans hurt Ralph.... please don't tell them..." the android gulped, "... Don't tell them Ralph is here, they'll come for Ralph again-"

"No one is telling anyone anything!" North shouted. "Not until you put that down."

Josh's artificial heart was banging against his chest- no one was supposed to be here, but here was... Ralph, he guessed, frightened, confused and obviously worse for wear. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, holding out his hands, palms up. Heaving a sigh, he asked gently, "Is it alright if we all drop the weapons for now?"

He could see the gears turning in Ralph's mind, a scan told him the android's stress levels were dangerously high. At least seventy-eight percent and plateauing. With no LED, he couldn't gauge exactly how Ralph was feeling but if he was this high strung all the time his systems were most likely overheated and absolutely shot to hell. But Ralph relented, his eyes never leaving Josh, flicking between his open palms to his face and occasionally North, who was uncharacteristically quiet, hanging back by the door.

\----

Getting Ralph to follow them to the main compound of the boat was the easy part. Finding Markus to explain the situation was a bit more difficult. And awkward. But mostly difficult. While North went off to find Simon and give him an update, Josh was left with carting around Ralph, who shivered and glared at anyone who even dared to pass by or accidentally make eye contact. As they walked past the crates, Josh could hear an android child (modeled YK800, respectively, Alice and Kara suddenly springing to mind- he wondered how Canada was treating them) ask a nearby android "what happened to his face?"

"Ralph doesn't like this.. too many people, Ralph is nervous," Ralph muttered, sidling closer to Josh as they made their way through the crowd.

Josh pursed his lips, "It's a lot, I know. It's okay, though. Markus can help."

Josh felt Ralph grip his sleeve, a surprisingly tight hold with such a damaged component. They were at the base of the stairs now, winding metal steps that rusted with age. The bolts were near orange, and a few of the steps were missing, having rusted and fallen apart with time. To the left of the stairs, Josh could just make out Lucy's form behind a plastic sheet, the wires in her head exposed even in shadow. Lucy was always an odd one to him, having mysteriously shown up with most of her components damaged or missing. She spouted words of wisdom but most of it made no sense to him, and her skin was constantly swimming across her body, as if unsure whether to disguise her as human or interface with anyone. With the world.

It made him suddenly realize that if he hadn't found Ralph when he did, the android may have ended up looking like Lucy. Damaged beyond repair and always cryptic in an unsettling way. Maybe, josh mused as he helped Ralph up the stairs, he already was. The humans who had done this to him were most likely long gone, so revenge was out of the question, but Ralph was just concerned with living again. With not getting hurt by those who he was created to trust and serve. The stairs were rickety under their combined weight, and Ralph was almost hugging him for dear life as they made their way to the top.

The door to Markus' "office" was ajar, and Josh could see another android inside. He couldn't tell what they were doing, but it looked important, if Marku's pinched expression and heartfelt pleas were anything to go by. Whoever he was arguing with must really mean a lot to him, Josh realized.

"-an't go back to CyberLife, Connor!" Markus was saying, "They almost killed you!"

Oh. So he was talking to Connor. Josh knew very little of Connor, but from what he knew, he seemed alright. A little mechanical for his liking, having recently become deviant, but still nice. Many had spoken of Connor's CyberLife liberation, but few were willing to talk to him just yet. Ralph shied away from the door, and Josh let himself be pulled along.

They could hear Connor trying to reassure Markus, his voice wavering slightly.

"I must complete my mission, Markus. I'm not used to being deviant and everyone here is scared of me."

Oh, right. Hunting his own kind was still a sore spot.

"But if you just let me help you, or even Hank, they'll see how important you are to the cause- to me!"

Josh bit his lip. He should probably bring Ralph back another time if they were listening to a lover's quarrel. Markus was never exactly open about being in a relationship with Connor but it was an unspoken rule never to bother the two when they were together. Slowly, Josh patted Ralph's shoulder, knees creaking as he got up. Honestly, he hadn't realized Ralph had pulled him into a crouching position, almost as if they were hiding.

"We should probably come back later," Josh said, "But Markus can help."

"Ralph is unsure," Ralph shook his head, "The deviant hunter is here, Ralph should go-"

"Josh?"

Josh looked up to see Markus eyeing him curiously, Connor timidly waiting behind him. He was still wearing the jacket provided by CyberLife, the triangle and armband glowing a furious blue in the dim light of the boat. It reflected oddly off Connor's chin, casting his face in an eerie shadow. Markus had his arms crossed, back straight as he waited for Josh's reply.

"North and I found him in one of the cabins below deck," Josh explained, drawing Ralph up with him to stand.

"I thought there were no androids left in the cabins?" Markus asked, "We made rounds last week and found nothing."

"North thinks he may have sneaked on recently, but Markus we can't turn him away, he needs help-"

"Ralph is leaving!" Ralph suddenly piped up, his voice box crackling as he swiftly turned and ducked under Josh's arm. He was clumsy on the stairs but managed to make it all the way down before bumping into a few androids as he dashed through the crowd. Josh let out a frustrated groan, looking between Markus and Ralph's disappearing frame.

"Markus, I-"

"It's fine, Josh," Markus put a reassuring hand on Josh's shoulder, squeezing gently, "if he's overwhelmed, we should let him be for now. You said you and North found him in one of the cabins?"

Josh nodded, stealing one last look at the direction Ralph went before explaining the situation.

\----

North really wanted some piece and quiet after finding that tin can down in the cabins.

Like Markus, she thought androids were done hiding after the revolution. Sure, the place was packed to the brim and they were running low on supplies, but androids were free now. They could come and go as they please, and do what they like and actually get paid for the services they previously provided, should they choose to find work again.

Seeing the state Ralph was in.... was alarming, to say the least. It shook her to the core, made her pump regulator skip a beat as Josh had coaxed him into dropping the knife and following them to the main compound of the ship. She saw the way he was jittery around such a large crowd, how tightly he had gripped Josh's sleeve with broken fingers and looked around with bloodied eyes and gashes in his face.

It made her wonder if her fate was to be similar. At the Eden Club. She had seen two Traci models in Jericho recently, one of them still wearing the bra and panties set provided by the club, but they looked happy and safe and whole. No broken parts to be seen on either of them as they sat and laughed with each other and kissed.

If she stayed in the club, and didn't become deviant, was she going to break like Ralph was somehow broken? She wasn't sure what was done to him, but the damage was there. Always a reminder that they weren't exactly human, but not exactly machines either.

Footsteps broek through her thoughts, almost drowned out by the hubbub of the androids waiting patiently for parts or just a chance to relax. She had seen Josh take Ralph up the stairs to Markus's "office" a while ago. Simon was off doing some more inventory, so she was left to her own devices for a while- until now, as she saw Ralph tripping and pushing his way through the crowd.

"You look like you'e seen ra9," North commented, making Ralph jump. The small squeak he gave was adorable sounding more like static due to the damage on his vocal components. "Everything alright?"

Ralph was breathing hard, chest heaving as he shook his head. His damaged sclera was stark against his skin, the bloodied blue pupil frightening against the black sclera. Obviously North saw it was connected to the jagged gash in his cheek and exposed components shrouded in a hollow blackness- what exactly had his previous owner done to him to leave such a big wound? Being hollow as it was, there was no way to fix it either.

Thanks to Connor, CyberLife was shut down imminently, making it harder to get parts for when androids were damaged.

"Ralph is unsafe!" he insisted, "Ralph is sorry, but Ralph must go."

North cocked her head, "And why would Ralph feel unsafe?"

Ralph licked his lips, shoulders trembling with effort, "The deviant hunter. He will take Ralph back to the humans."

"Connor?" North smirked, "He might have been built to find deviants, but trust me, he's harmless now."

Seeing Connor with that human and his dog really put things into perspective for North; she wasn't entirely trusting towards him until he had saved her life from the SWAT teams on the boat. He saved her and Simon from getting plastered full of holes and then had the gall to storm into his own place of creation and turn all of humanity's work against them. It was pretty gutsy of him to show up to Jericho afterward, but seeing Markus' face light up and watching the way they were around each other, North grew to like the guy. Ever so slightly.

"But he's here."

North nodded, humming, "Yup. He's here. I'm here, you're here. We're all here trying to achieve the same goal."

Now Ralph looked confused. It reminded North of the dog that followed Connor's human around; she remembered one day Connor had insisted the dog come visit, as a way to boost morale around Jericho. Sumo was absolutely loving the attention, immediately latching onto Markus when he saw how close Connor was getting to him.

"So... Ralph won't be hunted by humans here?"

His voice was quiet. She almost couldn't hear him in the chaos of the androids nearby. Sighing heavily, she turned towards him, patting the spot next to her. Ralph was reluctant, but joined her anyway. She saw he was still shivering under the ratty shawl he wore, his red hair mussed slightly from running.

"No one will be hunted by humans, Ralph," North said confidently, "Here in Jericho, we're all safe. Markus is a good leader, and Connor is a good man. Josh too."

"Ralph left Josh at the stairs."

North nodded, "Yeah. I saw you run off. It's okay, I know this must be overwhelming. I still get angry sometimes about the whole thing. Still am. But I'm doing better now. You can too."

There was a pause. For a minute, all North heard was the chaos of other androids. Laughing, arguing, singing. They were living. And it was all because of people like Markus. People like Connor and Simon and Hank and his dog. People like herself and Josh. Ralph too, if he could see it. North knew she wasn't great at this, at talking to people. Even before Markus showed up, North was very much an action girl. But Markus showed her it was okay to be angry and just talk. She didn't have to resort to violence all the time and not everyone was out to get her. She could hear Josh's voice calling out, frantic and worried. She smiled to herself, catching Ralph's confused look in the corner of her eye.

"Seems like Josh is looking for you," she teased. Ralph opened his mouth to answer, shutting it after finding he probably had nothing to say. North hopped up from where she was sitting, smiling at Ralph as she gave his arm a gently squeeze.

"It's okay to be scared, Ralph," she said, "but you don't have to be alone anymore."

She watched as Josh broke through the crowd, almost jumping on Ralph as he made a scan, checking his components for injuries and otherwise. Ralph blubbered and flustered his way through an explanation, sending North confused looks all the while. North shrugged, laughing at Ralph's surprise when josh suddenly drew him into a hug.

He was going to be just fine.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written North before, and I find her a little difficult to write, but I like her a lot so i hope I did okay.


End file.
